Cribriform plate

(location and contents)

1. Within ethmoid bone
2. Passage of olfactory nerve (CNI)

Optic canal

(location and contents)

1. Within lesser wings of the sphenoid bone 
2. Passage of optic nerve and opthalmic atery

Superior orbital fissure

(location and contents)

1. Between spehoid wings
2. Passage of oculomotor (CNIII), trochlear (CNIV) abducens (CNVI) and opthalmic portion of trigeminal nerve (CNV_I)

Foramen rotundum

(location and contents)

1. Within sphenoid bone
2. Passage of maxillary portion of trigeminal nerve (CNV₂)

Foramen ovale

(location and contents)

1. Posterior aspect of sphenoid bone
2. Carriers mandibular portion of trigeminal nerve (CNV₃)

Foramen lacerum

(location and contents)

1. Consists of sphenoid, petrous temporal and basilar occipital bones
2. Allows passage of greater and deep petrosal nerve and branch of ascending pharyngeal artery

Carotid canal

(location and contents)

1. Superior to and is continuous with the foramen lacerum
2. Carries ICA 

Foramen spinosum

(location and contents)

1. In posterior aspect of sphenoid bone
2. Passage of middle meningeal artery

Internal auditory meatus

(location and contents)

1. Within petrous part of temporal bone
2. Carries facial nerve (CNVII), vestibulocochlear nerve (VIII) and labyrinthine artery

Sytomastoid foramen

(location and contents)

1. Located between styloid and mastoid processes of the temporal bone
2. Facial nerve (CNVII) after passing through IAM, and stylomastoid artery

Jugular foramen

(location and contents)

1. Anteriorly formed by petrous portion of temporal bone, and posteriorly by occipital bone
2. Passage of jugular veins, glossopharyngeal nerve (CNIX), vagus (CNX) and spinal accessory nerves (CNXI)

Hypoglossal canal

(location and contents)

1. Within occipital bone
2. Allows exit of hypoglossal nerve (CNXII)

Foramen magnum 

(location and contents)

1. Within occipital bone
2. Allows exit of spinal cord and vertebral arteries

Common carotid

(course and supply)

• Arises from aortic arch (right) and brachiocephalic artery (left)
• Pass up to thyroid cartilage - bifurcate
• No relevant supplying branches

External carotid

(course and supply)

• From bifurcation, rise to neck of mandible and bifurcate into maxillary and superficial temporal artery within parotid gland
• Gives rise to small arteries supplying face

Middle meningeal artery

(course and supply)

• Third of the branches of maxillary arteries 
• Enters cranium through foramen spinosum and divides 
• Anterior branch divides into terminal branches between dura mater and parietal bone - supplies up to vertex and to occipital bone 
• Posterior branch curves posteriorly to supply squamous temporal bone and divides to supply posterior dura mater and cranium

Internal carotid artery

(course and supply)

• 7 portions - cervical, petrous, lacerum, cavernous, clinoid, opthalmic and communicating
• Enters carotid canal after birfucation of CCA, passes through cavernous sinus and is therefore between layers of dura mater
• Passes out of dura mater at anterior clinoid process and gives branches to supply wall of sinus and anterior pituitry
• Runs parellel with optic nerve, gives off opthalmic arterier and superior hypophyseal artery
• Divides into posterior communicating artery and anterior/middle cerebral arteries

Anterior cerebral artery

(course and supply)

• Arises from ICA and joins anterior communicating artery
• Course follows the head of the corpus callosum and travelling down the anterior side of the body
• Gives of orbital, frontopolar, callosomarginal and pericallosal bracnhes to supply medial surface of frontal lobe, corpus callosum and blood to caudate nucleus and internal capsule

Middle cerebral artery

(course and supply)

• Largest artery after ICA bifurcation
• Perforates brain with centeal arteries to supply basal ganglia (striate arteries)
• Extends along the insular where it bi/trifurcates into segments that supply the cortex
• Supply of lateral hemispheric cortex, lateral inferior frontal lobe, lateral temporal lobe and basal ganglia

Posterior cerebral artery

(course and supply)

• Arises from bifurcation of distal basilar artery
• Central bracnhes pass through posterior perforated substance of midbrain to supply the medial surface of the thalamus and walls of the third ventricle
• Medial posterior branches pass the CC splenium and supply choroid plexus in third ventricle
• Cortical branches supply fusiform gyrus, inferior temporal fyri, cuneus, back of occipital lobes and posterior of CC

Opthalmic artery

(course and supply)

Vertebral artery

(course and supply)

• Arises from subclavian and pass through C1 transverse foramen before entering foramen magnum
• Enter skull and pass infront of the medulla (give off PICAs) and unite to form the basilar artery at lower border of the pons

Pontine arteries and PICA

(course and supply)

• Pontine arteries given off from the basilar artery and supply pons 
• PICA - branch of vertebral artery, passes between origin of vagal and accessory nerve
• Runs under the cerebellum, bifurcates to form medial (passes between cerebellar hemispheres) and lateral branch (supplies under surface of cerebellum and choroid plexus of 4th ventricle)

Anterior and posterior spinal arteries, artery of Adamkiewicz

(course and supply)

• Two anterior artery - arises after termination of vertebral arteries and fuse at level of foramen magnum 
• Joined by anterior segmental medullar arteries, and runs within pia mater along anterior median fissure
• Two posterior arteries - arise from vertebral arteries and passes posterior to medulla to create arterial mesh along posterior aspect of spinal cord
• Artery of Adamkiewicz - wide anatomical variation - typically from left posterior intercostal artery and turns to supply lower 2/3rds of spinal cord via the anterior spinal artery (reinforcement of supply)

Circle of Willis

(course and supply)

• Formed from anterior cerebral arteries, which are joined by the short anterior communicating artery, while the internal carotid gives off the posterior communicating artery, which joins the posterior cerebral artery just after the bifurcation of basilar artery.
• Creation of collaterals in cerebral circulation

Superior sagittal sinus 

(course and drainage)

• Beginning at frontal bone, receives nasal veins and runs posteriorly within frontal and parietal lobes
• Drains into the confluence of sinuses 
• Drainage from superior cerebral veins
• Lined by sinuses laterally within the frontal, parietal and occipital lobes containing blood from most of outer surface cerebral veins as well as arachnoid granulations 

Great cerebral vein

(course and supply)

• Internal cerebral veins drain superior surfaces of caudate nuclei and thamali merge to form great cerebral vein
• Exit from posterior of CC to empty into the straight sinus in tentorium midline
• Drainage of most internal cerebral veins

Transverse sinus

(course and supply)

• Superior sagittal sinus divides at junction of falx cerebri and tentorium to form the transverse sinuses
• Runs along the occipital bone to drain into the sigmoid sinuses

Cavernous sinus

(course and supply)

• Dural venous sinus bordered by temporal bone and sphenoid bone
• Contains CNIII/IV/V_1/2 as well as internal carotid, abducens and trochlear nerves
• Receives blood from the opthalmic veins and middle cerebral veins and drains into the superior petrosal sinus

Sigmoid sinus and internal jugular vein

(course and supply)

• Sigmoid sinus - within dura mater and receives blood from transverse sinuses 
• Travels along parietal, temporal and occipital bones to converge with inferior petrosal sinus, creating the IJV
• IJV exits through jugular foramen and is joined by retromandibular, facial and lingual veins before draining into subclavian to create the brachiocephal veins which converge to form SVC

Superior rectus muscle 

(innervation, origin, insertion and function)

• Oculomotor
• Common tendinous ring
• Superior cornea/sclera border 
• Eye elevation and intorsion (upper part of eye rotated towards nose)

Inferior rectus

(innervation, origin, insertion and function)

• Oculomotor
• Common tendinous ring
• Inferior cornea/sclera border
• Depresses, adducts and laterally rotates eye

Lateral rectus

(innervation, origin, insertion and function)

• Abducens
• Common tendinous ring 
• Temporal scleral/corneal border
• Abducts eye

Medial rectus

(innervation, origin, insertion and function)

• Oculomotor
• Common tendinous ring
• medial aspect of corneal/scleral border
• Adducts eye

Superior oblique muscle

(innervation, origin, insertion and function)

• Trochlear
• Common tendinous ring via the trochlea
• Outer, posterior quandrant
• Intorsion (upper part moves towards nose), some abduction and depression

Inferior oblique muscle

(innervation, origin, insertion and function)

• Oculomotor
• Orbital surface of maxilla
• Laterally on eyeball deep to lateral rectus
• Extorsion (lateral rotation), elevation and abduction

Lacrimation reflex

(afferent and efferent pathways)

• CN V₁ (opthalmic) carries sensory information from eye
• VII gives off greater petrosal nerve, which synapses with the maxillary nerve in the pterygopalantine ganglion
• From here, the maxillary nerve carries fibres to inneverate the lacriminal gland

Blink reflex

(afferent and efferent pathways)

• Touch sensation on sclera innervated by V₁, and carried to the trigeminal sensory nucleus, then to the facial motor nucleus. 
• Facial motor nerve innervated the orbicularis oculi to initiate a blink response

Levator palpebrae superioris

(function and innveration)

• Elevates the the upper eyelid 
• Innervated from the oculomotor nerve, as well as sympathetic fibres from ciliary ganglion of cervical spinal cord